Community’s Police Advisory Committee

Membership

The Community’s Police Advisory Committee consists of 11 members who are nominated by the Community Vitality and Safety Committee and confirmed by the City Council. The membership term is three years and includes persons representing the diverse communities in the City. Members must be residents of the City. No current member of the Tacoma Police Department, or his or her immediate family, may service on the Committee. No more than three members may be commissioned law enforcement professionals or retired commissioned law enforcement professionals. Members may serve more than ten years.

Apply for the Community’s Police Advisory Committee

You can submit an application for any CPAC seat and the clerk’s office will maintain record of your completed application until the following years’ appointment period, or if a special appointment period is opened.

Commission Application

Volunteer for Membership on the Commission

Staff Support

Staffing support to the Community’s Police Advisory Committee is provided by the City Manager’s Office.

Agendas and Minutes

To submit written public comment, please email cpac@tacoma.gov at least 24 hours before the start of the meeting. You may also provide verbal comment at the CPAC meeting.

Subcommittees & Structure

The work of CPAC is done through subcommittees that focus on various projects and goals. Below you can learn a little more about the subcommittees and what they are currently working on.

Oversight Subcommittee

The goal of the subcommittee is the establishment of a civilian oversight model to be bargained in 2025-26.

1. Continue development of an oversight model recommendation
2. Review the Tacoma Municipal Code and make incremental changes to set the stage
3. Manage relationship with City of Tacoma Labor Relations to guide efforts

Policy Subcommittee 

This team reviews TPD policies, weekly crime reporting statistics from the department, and is primarily responsible for recommendations on use of force data in line with Resolution 40685.

1. Review 21st Century Policing’s recommendations and determine status of each
2. Establish a process to receive regular data updates in line with Resolution 40685
3. Review draft policies from TPD leadership as part of the process to update the TPD policy manual
4. Review the implementation of the body-worn camera and dash-cam policies
5. Review the mental health resources available to TPD officers and possibly make suggestions for additional resources

Outreach Subcommittee

This team focuses on recruiting new members, providing presentations on who and what CPAC is, and creating education materials to help residents navigate the City’s complaint process and Tacoma Police Department policies.

1. Build better outreach practices that allow for better recruitment for future seats
2. Fill the vacant youth seat
3. Improve the public’s access to TPD related data
4. Foster understanding between Tacoma Police Department and the community, and promote TPD services and resources

Complaints Subcommittee

This team reviews conduct complaints submitted by members of the Tacoma community against individual TPD officers.

1. Working with staff this committee reviews trends in complaint data to make policy recommendations to the City Manager and Police Chief
2. Leads discussion of the full CPAC committee at monthly public meeting in reviewing the complaints submitted against TPD officers

Constitution and Bylaws Ad Hoc Subcommittee

The CPAC bylaws were most recently updated in Winter 2022. The full CPAC committee decided at its March 2025 retreat to review and update its bylaws, if changes were deemed necessary. This subcommittee will end once the bylaws have been updated or if it is determined that no changes are need.

Submitting a Policy Complaint

Per their establishing ordinances, the Community’s Police Advisory Committee can receive policy complaints by members of the public. To do so, please send an email, leaving a detailed message with either a specific policy or circumstances that deserve review.

Please note that the Community’s Police Advisory Committee only receives policy complaints related to specific policies and procedures of the Tacoma Police Department. The Committee does NOT receive individual complaints or allegations against the Tacoma Police Department or its officers. To file a complaint about the Department or its Officers, please visit the Tacoma Police Department’s Internal Affairs web page or call Tacoma FIRST 311 by dialing 3-1-1 within Tacoma city limits or (253) 591-5000 from anywhere else.